


In The Orare

by SteelNovember



Series: Jake In The City [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alien Biology, Aliens, Belly Kink, Big Handsome Man, Big beautiful man, Burping, Consensual Kink, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Future, Licking, Non-fatal vore, Original Fiction, Science Fiction, Soft Vore, Stuffing, Vore, safe vore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 17:55:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19090132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteelNovember/pseuds/SteelNovember
Summary: Months have passed. Matilda and Jake have grown closer, Jake is learning to love Earth, and Matilda is falling more for her strange roommate. But before the two know it, time is up. Will Jake stay? And can Matilda work up the courage to tell him her deepest secret?





	In The Orare

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaaand now we get to the good stuff. :D

The next few days were a bit of a commotion. Sebastian’s arrest was all over the news, of course, and authorities were already working on trying to get more information about the trafficking rings out of him. The identity of the person who tipped authorities off to the location of Sebastian’s gyroplane was withheld from the public, and even among her employees at Earth For All, Matilda was mostly known as “an important role in the case.”

Matilda joked that she had technically failed at her actual assignment, and that arresting traffickers technically had nothing to do with EFA’s work, but that didn’t stop her from receiving a special award, a company party in her honor, and time off from work.

“T-time off?” Matilda sputtered to Jennifer. “Seriously? But all I did was, uh, find a lost jCom, anyone could have done it.”

“Look, Maddie, if there’s anything I’ve learned in my life, it’s that if someone’s offering, take it.” Jennifer patted her shoulder. “Use the opportunity, recharge a bit…”

Jennifer’s lip curled into a sly smirk, and she tilted her head towards the snack table, where the tall, quiet man who had accompanied Matilda to the party was still awkwardly hovering.

“Maybe spend some time with that cute new friend of yours?”

Matilda blushed.

* * *

In any case, Matilda did take the time off to get to know Jake better. Even when she went back to work, she tried to make time to share at least one meal with him every day, and on the rough days she couldn’t manage that, she texted him during her breaks or forced herself to stay up a few minutes to chat with him a bit before crashing.

Matilda learned quite a lot about Jake.

For example, he was familiar with things like television and the Internet (he had his own jCom, after all), so he wasn’t exactly thrown into starry-eyed wonder by Earth technology. What did catch his eyes were nature documentaries, television specials about other countries, and, perhaps most important of all, internet cat videos. It made sense with the way he had described the Orare ships- the existence of different cultures and environments and lifeforms were totally novel to him.

Earth animals were particularly fascinating to him. Matilda devoted two different weekends to accompanying him on the hour-long trip to the nearest zoo, and he was as dazzled the second time as he was the first. He often got distracted in public by the sight of common birds like pigeons and sparrows, and his face always lit up any time he happened to spot a dog. Several times he realized she was giggling at his exuberant reactions, and that always led to him blushing and sulking a bit.

With every day she learned more about Jake. Sometimes she learned about his biology, like how every couple of weeks he needed to spend an hour or so in his natural state, which involved him sequestering himself in the bathroom and making liquid noises in the tub. Others times he taught her something about Orare culture as a whole, like how they didn’t really have a concept of gender (and as such, Jake technically wasn’t a “he”- but after thinking on it, he told her that he was fine being male). On occasion, he let bits and pieces of his personal life slip out, like how part of his desire to be seen as large and powerful was due to being bullied as a child for his interest in exploring the galaxy.

(When she went to bed that night, it occured to Matilda that perhaps he hadn’t let that slip so much as he simply felt comfortable enough to share that with her.)

Though they spent as much time as they could together, Jake eventually got comfortable going out on his own when Matilda was at work. Every evening it seemed like he had some new discovery to tell her about, like live musicians in the park or an art gallery he had found. Sometimes he just told her about the different kinds of people and buildings and cars he had seen. He could go on for ages if she let him, and she often did, smiling behind her hand at how much he seemed to love every aspect of the city.

And if there was one aspect of the city he loved above anything else, it had to have been the food.

Jake was enamoured with Earth food. Matilda brought him to as many restaurants as she could, from fancy pasta places to greasy fast food joints to the family-owned _hibachi_ grill a block away from Matilda’s office. On walks in the city, she introduced him to food carts, treating him to _gyros_ and pretzels and grilled _elote_ dripping with butter and spices. At home she introduced him to her small repertoire of memorized dishes, from tuna casserole to chicken pot pie to a tortiously long night spent waiting for her slow cooker to finish a pot of beef stew. It had been worth it, she thought, watching him sprawled out on her couch afterwards, grin wide and legs spread to make room for his satisfied stomach.

One thing he had taught her about Orare biology was their unusually immense stomach capacity. What with the infamous First Contact incident, learning this wasn’t exactly a surprise, and yet Matilda couldn’t help being awestruck every time Jake displayed exactly how much his stomach could stretch, eating himself to the point of drowsiness, totally knocked out apart from the gentle ministrations his hands made against his well-fed belly.

Jake was a fairly poised person, which made this one guilty pleasure seem even cuter. And it was a pleasure he indulged in surprisingly often- though he seemed to try and downplay his appetite around her, which made Matilda wonder if it was taboo among the Orare to use their flexible stomachs for purposes other than examining new data.

_Or maybe he thinks I’d find it weird or something?_

Well, she didn’t. Many nights saw her arrive home far later than expected to find him dozing on the couch surrounded by the remains of enough fast food to feed a small party, hair tousled, pants unbuttoned to let his paunch gently poke out. The sight often held her in place, a fond feeling warming her stomach and setting a blush burning in her cheeks.

No, Matilda didn’t find it weird, or gross, or anything but utterly charming and utterly _him_. She doubted at this point she could find anything about him unpleasant, even the parts of him she knew were objectively character flaws. She liked him. She _liked_ him, plain and simple. The time they spent together was some of the happiest of Matilda’s life.

And before she knew it, three months had passed.

* * *

Matilda practically skipped through her apartment door. “Hey, I’m back!” She shrugged off her jacket and let it flop onto one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “They let us off early today! It was really slow, I guess- have you had anything to eat yet?” She quickly darted to the living room. “I was thinking of ordering from that really good Chinese place from the other week…”

Matilda trailed off as her eyes fell on Jake. He was sitting on the couch as usual, eyebrows furrowed as he focused on the screen of Matilda’s jTop. There was a few papers and files scattered around him. After a beat, he blinked and tilted his chin up to acknowledge her.

“Hi,” he said. “Sorry, could you give me a hand with this?”

It only took a few minutes to connect the jTop with Jake’s jCom, a little hum signalling the transfer of information. With the click of a button, the jCom projected a little holographic slide a few inches above the screen, a list of information displayed alongside an image of his face. Matilda’s eyes fell to the captions under his picture:

 

**ORARE COLONY CITIZEN**

**APPROVED TERRACITIZEN**

 

“...wow, congrats!” Matilda laughed. “You’re finally official!”

“Mm,” he replied.

“This is seriously great… now you don’t have to worry about the cops or anything…” Matilda paused, eyes on his face. “And… you can go between Earth and the Orare ships. Or move back.”

Jake didn’t say anything.

“...do you still want to go back? Like… permanently?”

A loud grumble broke the silence. Both of them looked down to the soft dome of Jake’s belly.

He blushed. “Sorry, with the passport thing I completely forgot about eating. Did you mention Chinese food earlier?”

* * *

As they dug into their takeout boxes, Jake spoke up.

“I still need some time to think about what I’m going to do next. I just… need to collect my thoughts, I guess.”

Matilda swallowed the lump of lo mein in her mouth.

“Alright! Yeah, that makes sense. No pressure.”

For some reason, the food didn’t taste nearly as good as it had last week.

* * *

That night, Matilda stared sleeplessly at her bedroom ceiling. She closed her eyes and strained her ears, wondering if she could make out Jake’s gentle breathing from the couch in the living room if she tried hard enough. No matter how hard she tried to train her senses on him, though, she didn’t hear anything. She might as well have been completely alone in the apartment.

She turned on her side, looking at the space on her mattress where another body could have easily fit.

_Alone._

Matilda clenched her fist against her pillow, resolute.

* * *

She woke up early the next morning to find him cross-legged on the couch with the jTop on his lap again, his gaze noticeably less fierce than yesterday, but eyes still thoughtful. “Morning,” she said casually from the kitchen, examining her reflection on the back of a spoon. “What’re you up to?”

“Looking at apartment rates in the city, and the surrounding cities.”

He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Matilda’s lips tightened. _So it’s possible he wants to stay on Earth but move somewhere else?_

In a way, the possibility of that was even more crushing than the thought of him leaving the planet.

“I’ve imposed on you for quite some time,” he went on, and there was a slightly regretful tone to his words. “I need to also think about how I’m going to repay you for the past months.”

That made Matilda peer through the door. “Repay?”

He laughed. “Rent, clothes.” He indicated his red sweater and black jeans- he technically didn’t need clothes, as he could manifest them along with the rest of his form (which, in retrospect, explained why he hadn’t burst out of his clothes the first night they had met), but she had taken it upon herself to buy him a few things. “Food,” he added as an afterthought, looking a bit sheepish. “I really can’t state enough how much you’ve done for me.”

Matilda hovered by the door for a minute before coming over to sit next to him on the couch. “That’s not… you don’t need to repay me for that stuff, you’re…”

He looked to her. “I’m what?”

Matilda felt a wave of heat on her cheeks, and it took her a few seconds to collect herself. “Could I… talk to you, about something?”

Jake blinked, and after a moment he closed the jTop and set it on the floor next to the couch. “What is it?”

She inhaled. _Here we go._

“It’s just… the last few months have been nice. Really nice. You’re a really great guy, and I’ve enjoyed spending time with you, and I really consider you a friend. I know it’d be selfish to try and convince you to stay on Earth. So I won’t. It’s got to be your decision, whatever it is you choose.”

“That being said…”

Matilda took a moment to lick her dry lips.

“That’d being said, before you decide on anything else, I’d like to ask you something.”

Jake, bless his heart, sat there patiently as Matilda took her third long pause to collect herself.

“I… Look, I know this probably seems a bit out of the blue, but…”

Matilda swallowed a lump of nothing caught in her throat. Her cheeks already felt like they were on fire.

“Would you…”

_Now or never. Now or never._

“...be interested in eating me?”

And there it was. Matilda immediately shut her eyes as tight as she could, fists balling at her pants and face going a brilliant shade of maroon within an instant. The seconds seemed to stretch on forever.

_I said it. Why isn’t he saying anything? I said it. I said it. I said-_

“Why?”

Matilda dared to open a single eye. Jake’s face looked back at her, cheeks a little pink but expression strangely calm. For some reason this only made her more nervous. “I… huh?”

“Why do you want me to eat you, Matilda.” His voice wasn’t… angry, but it was firm. Serious. She had his full, absolute attention, and it made her feel like she was shrinking.

“I… well…”

And for a moment, Matilda prepared to launch into some hasty lie about cultural exchange and customs and the Orare’s usual process of gathering new information and what not… but there was something in his eyes that stopped her.

His eyes were so earnest.

His eyes were so… _vulnerable_.

And so, Matilda paused. And instead of giving her excuse, she did the most embarrassing thing she could possibly do.

She gave him the truth.

She told him about a picture book that had sat on her bookshelf throughout her childhood. It was a collection of fairy tales, and she remembered returning to the adaption of Little Red Riding Hood several times, enamoured, for some reason, by the illustration of the story’s heroine sitting between the paws of the massive wolf, looming over and licking his chops. That image stayed with her for a long time, long after she had outgrown picture books.

She told him about how she had read about the Orare First Contact incident, and how surprised she had been to learn about how the Orare could ingest living things and spit them out later without any harm being done. She had returned to that train of thought many times, imagining how it would feel to be conscious of being in another living being’s stomach, and for some reason the thought of that made her cheeks go red and made a silly half-smile appear on her lips. And when she learned about the arrival of an Orare on Earth, she couldn’t help but wonder if that individual would ask to do that her.

She told him… she told him about how her body had been small all of her life, and how frustrated she was with that sometimes, the fact that people seemed to view her as less mature, less capable because of that. And worse, with this job, she was sometimes put into situations that would bring her into the orbit of unpleasant individuals, individuals much more imposing and much stronger than her. To combat this, she dedicated herself to training at the gym and learning some self-defense techniques, trying to model herself like the typical cool, strong heroines she loved seeing in action movies. She, like Jake, wanted people to see her as strong and capable. Untouchable.

But, she told him, sometimes she wanted to be vulnerable. Sometimes she didn’t want to think about any of those things.

And, she told him, sometimes she didn’t want to be vulnerable, but then something would happen to forcefully remind her how strong and vicious other people could be. Like, for example, she told him in a low voice, that encounter with the Terra Enforcers in the alley.

But, she told him, then she met him. She met him, this incredibly powerful guy who was capable of killing with almost no effort, and she felt completely at ease around him. She spent a night with him, pressed against his body in tight quarters, and it felt like the most natural thing on Earth. She spent months with him, and she had never once feared the idea of him turning on her or getting rid of her to make sure his secret never got out. She didn’t just feel at ease around him- she felt safe.

And she felt so safe, that she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was the one person on Earth- perhaps, in the entire galaxy, who would allow her to explore this strange part of her psyche. She didn’t fear her vulnerability, even against his overwhelming power. In fact, she told him with a blush, that sort of excited her even more- the idea that he was so strong, and yet wouldn’t dream of using that power to harm her.

“... that is, if you’d be okay with doing this.” Matilda kept her eyes on her feet. “I-it’d be totally alright if you’re not!… I just... really, really feel curious about it, and you’re the only person who could not only do this for me, but could do this for me with me feeling completely comfortable.”

Matilda trailed off. She had talked for so long her throat felt a little hoarse. Jake had listened silently the entire time, and she couldn’t summon enough courage to see what kind of face he was making. So she just sat there, and as the seconds ticked past silently, a knot of dread started building in her stomach, and all of a sudden, the realization of everything she had just revealed came crashing down.

“I… I’m sorry,” and she bolted up, arms rigid and face hot, taking a few wobbly steps away from him. “I shouldn’t have said-”

“Matilda.”

The sound of his voice made her freeze. It took her a few seconds to dart a glance back at him. His was staring at the floor, that serious-yet-calm expression still on his face. It was unreadable.

_But at least it’s not disgust._

“Sorry,” Jake murmured. He rubbed his face. “That was just a lot to take in.” After a moment, he sat up, straightening his shoulders. “In any case… could you take off your clothes?”

Matilda stared at him.

Jake blinked, and he actually looked at her. “Ah… you can leave your underwear on. I just think it’ll, um…” Before Matilda’s dumbfounded eyes, a red tint appeared in his cheeks. “It’ll be easier for you, with less clothes to wash, after.”

_I’m dreaming._

“And…” There was no doubt about it, that was a blush. Jake looked at the floor again. “I’ll be able to taste you better, the less you’re wearing.”

_I’m definitely dreaming._

Matilda’s hands flew to the hem of her shirt, before she paused.

_…god. Who CARES if this is a dream?_

Within a second, her top and jeans were in a little lumpy heap at her feet. All she wore was a black bra and a pair of grey-and-white striped panties. Mismatched, no cute details, no lace. Gnawing her lip, she looked up at him. Jake looked back at her, eyes still calm. She knew that, being an alien, he probably didn’t see anything erotic about her body- and somehow, that made her all the more nervous. There wasn’t really lust in his gaze, just… interest. An intense, hungry interest.

“Matilda?”

She blinked, realizing she had been standing there for several seconds. “I… uh…”

Jake regarded her quietly, before gently holding out a hand.

“Come here.”

It wasn’t even like her fantasies. He didn’t even pitch his voice deep, or give her a cocky look, or _anything_ \- and yet something about the way he was sitting there combined with his soft words and relaxed eyes lit that weird fire in her body within an instant. Eyes wide, cheeks _burning_ , Matilda stepped forward haltingly. She paused, swaying a bit, before she switched her pace to something slower, in hopes of trying to seem calmer than she really was, as if her heart wasn’t beating so hard she felt like it would knock her down.

She took a step, and another, and another, and she was in front of him.

Even with him sitting, she wasn’t really taller than him. They were basically at eye level- and boy, was it hard to look into his eyes. At least, at this distance, she could see something a little affectionate on his face, even if he still wasn’t smiling.

After a moment, he shifted and patted his thick thigh.

He didn’t even need to say anything.

Matilda turned her back to him, dropping into his lap.

_Th-Thump. Th-Thump. Th-Thump._

God, but he was big. His thighs were massive, flanking hers like mountains. She could feel him, all of him, his wide chest and soft, round belly, pressing into her back like… like…

_Th-Thump. Th-Thump. Th-Thump._

Surely he must have felt her heart beating this hard.

Surely he was having second thoughts…

***Grrrrrrooooowwwwwwwllllll…***

Matilda’s reverie was immediately drowned out by a low rumble, a growl that rolled through his belly to her spine, reaching all the way down to her toes.

“You’ll have to excuse me.” The lightness of his tone couldn’t negate the fact that she could feel his mouth mere centimeters away from her ear. “I actually haven’t had breakfast yet, so I’m feeling a bit peckish.”

Matilda almost squeaked.

She then proceeded to _actually_ squeak when his big hands unexpectedly landed on her upper arms. He rubbed them gently, moving from her shoulders to her elbows and back again. “You weren’t lying,” Jake murmured. “You’ve clearly spent a lot of time honing your body… you’re so strong, Matilda.”

He shifted, and the next time he spoke, his words warmed the back of her neck.

“So strong…”

She heard the muscles in his throat move. He was swallowing.

“And smart…”

A soft sound. He was licking his lips.

“And wonderful.”

It was only nerves keeping her stiff throat from letting out a noise as she felt something hot and wet slip down her cheek.

His tongue.

_His tongue._

It was long, longer than a human’s, definitely _wider_. She barely had time to process this before he shifted, licking the nape of her neck and sending a cascade of shivers down her spine. Another shift, and another lick up her cheek. Unbidden, her lips parted and let out a tiny sound. Unbelievable… this was unbelievable…

“This will help the… process go a little more smoothly,” he said as his tongue traveled over her, as if her overheated brain could process complex concepts like “lubrication” at that moment. “I’m not just doing this to get a taste, for the record…”

“H-how-”

Jake paused. Matilda needed a few moments to re-find her voice.

“How is it?” She finally managed. “How… do I taste?”

There was a moment of silence, before he let out a small little _heh_.

“It’s… well, it’s great.” His tongue ran down her deltoid muscle. “ _You’re_ great.” She could feel his stomach rumbling again against her back. “As if you’d be anything less than delicious.”

Matilda took a moment to process the fact that she was swooning at the fact that someone had called her “delicious.” As she tried to think of a response (or perhaps, a way to fully grasp how strange her life had gotten), she looked at the opposite wall of the room, where the television sat. The blank screen reflected the two of them, and the sight almost took her breath away. He was so _big_ , so tall and wide compared to her skinny form. In her reflection she could see her firm face betrayed by the slight shaking of her shoulders. In the reflection she could see him looking down at her, completely and utterly calm- kind, but a little bit hungry.

_This is exactly how she looked. Little Red Riding Hood in the paws of the Big Bad Wolf._

“Matilda.”

This time, there was something a little husky in his voice. Matilda looked up at him, meeting his eyes for the first time since she had sat with him, and found his face warmed with a slight flush. His eyes were gentle, still, but with that same strange hungry look. His lips were parted, enough to show those double rows of teeth. Another growl went through his body to hers, and her heartbeat kicked in again.

“I, ah…” For the first time, he looked a little shy, almost sheepish. “I think… you should probably close your eyes for this part.”

Unbidden, Matilda remembered the reaction of the man in the alleyway as he saw something she hadn’t been able to before his swift demise. _Yeah, probably._ She took a deep breath. “Right. Okay.”

“I promise I’ll be… careful.”

“Of course.” She shut her eyes tight, and her world became nothing but touch and sound, the feeling of his vast body against her, the gentle noises of his breathing and organs churning. “I trust you, Jake.”

She heard the sound of his tongue slipping over his lips again. “Right.”

And in the darkness, she waited.

There was nothing but the sound of her heartbeat.

 

_Th-thump._

 

_Th-thump._

 

_Th-thu-_

 

Matilda gasped as she was suddenly enveloped down to her shoulders by something warm and damp. A pair of strong hands came to grip her waist, not predatory, but a show of comfort. Vaguely, she became aware of the sensation of something hard and grainy ringing around her shoulders- teeth. His teeth. Jake’s teeth.

Jake’s mouth.

 _Oh my god. Oh my god._ Matilda couldn’t even strain or struggle as he carefully moved down. This was actually happening.

This was actually happening!!!

“A-ah….” A quiet moan left her throat as she felt his tongue against the nape of her neck, thick and hot and somehow bigger than it had seemed only moments ago.

“Mmmph…” A noise reveberated around her as if in response, impossibly loud, yet gentle… and pleased. He was groaning in satisfaction, and the realization of that almost made her dizzy.

He inched downwards once more, now down to her chest, and she bit her lip as she felt the edge of his mouth brush her breasts. She inhaled, exhaled, heart pounding harder than ever before as she moved deeper into him, towards a distant heat within him.

For the first time, prickles of fear made their way through her body, not out of distrust of him, but dread of that strange unknown darkness. As if sensing this, Jake’s hands rubbed her sides gently, instantly sending a wave of calm through her. Jake paused for a moment, almost as he was giving her a second to catch her breath, before moving his hands down to her hips. He moved down once more, now enveloping Matilda down to her waist.

It was so hot, so cramped. Her heartbeat was almost making her head spin at this point. So wet. So soft. So _tight…_

Matilda gasped as her world suddenly inverted. With a single motion he had lifted her above his head, and for a moment, her feet kicked at air. Another one of those pleased groans of his vibrated through her entire body. His tongue lashed out against her again, and again, as if trying to taste as much of her possible. Small, embarrassing noises left her mouth unbidden, her toes curling and uncurling with no purchase to hold on to.

He gulped, and suddenly she was even further down inside him, only her lower legs still exposed to the outside world. The fleshy walls began to press deeper against her, not enough to crush her, but with an pressure that was intense all the same. It was like her entire body was being massaged… or, at least, almost all of-

He gulped once more.

Matilda took a moment to realize she had been completely enveloped by him. She waited for a moment, realizing he wasn’t doing anything. She kicked again, writhing, just wanting to disappear into him or to feel his tongue again or _something_ , she just wanted, she wanted-

“Ah-!”

She suddenly dropped, landing against something wet and fleshy.

After a moment, Matilda cracked her eyes open.

She was surrounded by pink, slick walls. They weren’t exactly translucent, per say, but a faint light bled through, keeping it from being completely dark. She could make out vague shapes as well, past the walls of…

Well. Past the walls of his stomach.

She was in his stomach.

He had done it, she realized, completely dumbstruck. He had eaten her.

It took a moment for Matilda to realize she was still upside-down. After a few seconds of hesitation, she moved her shoulders, finding it was surprisingly easy to move. The walls, while tight, were malleable and gave gently around the movement of her body- it was a bit like being wrapped up in a very thick quilt. As she inched herself into an upright position, she became aware of a gentle in-and-out motion, as well as what must have been the sounds of his organs churning.

_I’m inside another person’s body._

Sitting upwards, Matilda took a moment to process everything. The slick wetness (not unpleasant), the all-encompassing warmth (definitely not unpleasant), the gentle constriction of his stomach (much, much less unpleasant than she ever would have thought). A slight pressure against her shoulder caught her attention- something pushing against her from the outside… his hand?

“J… Jake?” She wasn’t even sure if he could hear her, but she was curious about his silence and stillness. From what she could tell, he was just sitting there, breathing a bit ragged. Tired? Stunned at what he had just done? She tried again: “Jake?”

A massive belch answered her, long and loud.

After a brief silence, his voice followed, distant and a bit sheepish: “Excuse me.”

Matilda let out a little chuckle, even as her cheeks warmed. Before she could say try to catch his attention again, a sudden movement sent her tilting over slightly- was he leaning over? He straightened up once more quickly, and before she could try to figure out what he was doing, she heard a faint gulping noise above her head. Puzzled, she looked up…

“Oof-!”

-only to feel something small drop on her face.

She blinked, looking down so that the mystery object slid down to land in her hands. To her surprise, it was her jCom- it must have fallen out of her pocket when she sat on the couch earlier. Almost instantly, the screen lit up:

 

 **Jake:** _Are you feeling alright?_

 

Matilda stared at the screen baffled, and as he had read her mind, it lit up once more:

 

 **Jake:** _My skin is porous, so you should be able to get enough oxygen without any trouble_

 **Jake:** _but just to be safe, i think you should avoid talking. It’ll take up more air_

 

Oh. That actually did make sense.

 

 **Matilda:** _Oh_

 **Matilda:** _Yeah good call_

 **Matilda:** _I’m feeling fine, lol_

 **Matilda:** _Honestly? I feel pretty fantastic_

 

She felt his chuckle rumble through her entire body, shifting the walls around her.

 

 **Matilda:** _How do you feel?_

 **Jake:** _I_

 **Jake:** _Well_

 

The walls shifted a little, and Matilda could hear the couch creaking a little. He was leaning backwards, settling into a more comfortable position. She heard him let out another satisfied belch, his hand patting his belly (and her) once more.

 

 **Jake:** _Well… to be honest, I feel fantastic too_

 **Jake:** _I feel really fucking fantastic._

 

Despite the oddness of everything else about this situation, that was the thing that made Matilda raise her eyebrows. He didn’t swear often.

 

 **Jake:** _you feel INCREDIBLE, Matilda_

 **Jake:** _it’s_

 **Jake:** _you’re so tight inside me… so warm_

 **Jake:** _every time I move I can feel you_

 **Jake:** _just breathing, i can feel you in every part of me_

 **Jake:** _and I can feel your breathing, and your movements_

 **Jake:** _it’s AMAZING_

  
  


Matilda’s face was beginning to feel hot.

 

 **Matilda:** _oh_

 

From above, she heard him burp thickly again, followed by him letting out a breathy little chuckle. “Jeez…”

 

 **Jake:** _Fuck, I’m so stuffed._

 **Jake:** _you’re taking up so much of me_

 **Jake:** _I look absolutely massive right now…_

 

Matilda bit her lip, curling up and pressing her thighs together.

 

 **Matilda:** _could you show me_

 

There was a slight pause. Briefly, she wondered if that was the wrong thing to say- but then:

 

 **Jake:** _Hang on_

 

Matilda’s world shifted, and a churning growl sounded out. Jake gave a soft grunt, and Matilda felt the two of them rise off the couch. It seemed to be taking him a little extra effort as he moved, taking careful, almost dainty steps.

 

The journey wasn’t a long one, but it was drawn out by his slow, labored movements. Matilda was so entranced by his breathing and the quiet churning of his insides that it took her a moment to realize they had reached their destination. There was a tiny, metallic sound- the sound of a jCom’s camera going off, Matilda realized. Realization hit her a split second before her screen lit up once more.

 

“Oh…” She murmured.

 

The picture showed Jake standing in her bathroom, facing the mirror and holding his jCom out with one hand. The other rested on the the massive dome of his belly- on _her_ , she realized. His sweater, which had fit comfortably before, was now not enough to contain his new girth, the hem rucked up almost halfway up his midriff.  The sight made her a bit starry-eyed- he was rounder and bigger than ever before- round and big because of _her_.

 

 **Matilda:** _oh_

 **Matilda:** _oh wow_

 **Jake:** _Haha, yeah, I know_

 **Jake:** _It’s funny, I think I’ve eaten more than this before in one sitting_

 **Jake:** _but something about you is_

 **Jake:** _special_

 **Jake:** _It’s strange to explain_

 **Jake:** _I don’t know if I can… it just feels so good_

 **Jake:** _being this big_

 **Jake:** _and knowing it’s because of you_

 **Jake:** _Sorry, that’s probably confusing_

 **Matilda:** _no, it’s not_

 **Matilda:** _you look incredible_

 **Matilda:** _you look beautiful_

 

She heard him laugh in a way that almost sounded shy. She wondered if he was blushing.

 

 **Jake:** _Well thanks_

 **Jake:** _Do you want any more pictures?_

 **Matilda:** _No, this is fine, thanks_

 **Matilda:** _you should go lay down, you probably want to get off your feet_

 

Suddenly struck by a weird courage, Matilda quickly added an addendum:

 

 **Matilda:** _you should go rest on my bed, you’ll be able to stretch out more_

 

He seemed to hesitate at that.

 

 **Jake:** _oh, that’s nice of you, but_

 

A soft, but squealing groan sounded out before his next message, and he seemed to sort of wince at it.

 

 **Jake:** _actually, you know what?_

 **Jake:** _That sounds like a pretty good idea._

 

Matilda swayed gently with his movements. The sensation wasn’t entirely unlike being on a boat, she mused. It didn’t take him long to get to her bedroom- and she was suddenly struck by the thought that she didn’t really remember how clean it was. _Did I leave any clothes out… any underwear??? Ugh, I hope it’s not too much of a disaster._ In any case, he didn’t have any comment, at least. Jake simply ambled his way to her bed and gently, slowly, sank down into the mattress.

With a shuffling sensation, Matilda’s sense of up and down shifted- he was laying down, she realized. Jake let out a sigh of relief, apparently grateful to be on his back. She felt his hands press into his stomach once again with another contented burp.

 

 **Jake:** _Ahhhhh I needed that. I feel so drowsy_

 

Matilda’s mind was filled with the thought of Jake, overstuffed and sleepy, a dazed smile on his face as stretched out like a big cat. On _her_ bed.

 

 **Matilda:** _could i ask you for one more thing?_

 **Jake:** _sure, what_

 **Matilda:** _could you show me a picture of your face?_

 

She waited with her teeth worrying her bottom lip. Her eyes stayed on the screen, waiting, waiting…

 

 **Jake:** _here you go :)_

 

Matilda swallowed. Jake must have held his jCom far above his head to take the picture, and it almost gave the impression of looking down at him. Looking down at him, with that light pink flush to his face… with his tousled hair and half-lidded eyes. With that warm, slight, smile, almost a tiny grin, somewhere between confident, satisfied, and faintly embarrassed…

She wished she was looking down on him. As much as it was nice in here, she wished-

 

 **Jake:** _Matilda?_

 

She fumbled the jCom, nearly dropping it.

 

 **Matilda:** _sorry sorry. It’s a good pic. Thanks._

 **Jake:** _Why’d you want to see my face?_

 

Matilda froze.

...and she shrugged, almost laughing. What the hell. She had gotten personal enough with him already.

 

 **Matilda:** _you look really cute when you’re satisfied like this_

 **Matilda:** _you look good… really cute._

 **Matilda:** _really handsome._

 **Matilda:** _I’m glad you enjoyed this too._

 

There was a moment of nothing.

 

 **Matilda:** _Jake?_

 

And then he responded-

This time Matilda really did drop the jCom, sputtering. Her hands flew to grab it off the floor of his stomach… but she paused, gulping slightly, before turning the screen back towards her. It was another picture of Jake’s face, but this time, the look in his eyes was more mischievous, more… cocky.

It didn’t help that this time, his mouth was open.

Wide open.

Wide open enough for his thick tongue to loll out, framed by each and every one of his sharp, glossy teeth.

 

 **Jake:** _Just thought you’d appreciate that view :)_

 **Matilda:** _AHAHAHA!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

 

Matilda flushed a bright red as she felt the walls around her shake with his laughter. She _thought_ she had played that off smoothly...

 

 **Jake:** _anyways… what should we do now?_

 **Matilda:** _well_

 **Matilda:** _you said you were feeling tired right?_

 **Matilda:** _why don’t you just lay here a bit_

 **Matilda:** _… let’s stay like this for a while_

 

A sigh pushed through Jake’s body, his stomach shifting around Matilda as he settled into the mattress.

 

 **Jake:** _yeah_

 **Jake:** _that sounds good, actually_

 

A pleasant silence fell in the room. After a moment, Matilda tried laying down as she could. She had to tuck her knees against her chest, but she managed to settle fairly comfortably on her back. It was strangely peaceful, with the gentle twitch of his slick stomach walls and only the sound of his inner workings breaking the stillness-

Matilda gave a start as she felt two twin pressures against either side of her ribcage. It took her a second to identify them as Jake’s hands, gently pressing into her. She heard him let out a soft, pleased little noise as he rubbed his belly. It was adorable- and his hands actually felt quite soothing.

She laid there for a moment, suddenly aware of how nice she felt. How nice it all felt. Slowly, her eyelids began to droop, making her vision blur to nothing but hazy pink. She focused on her breathing, on her own inner workings. She felt her heartbeat, and compared it to the larger heartbeat that pulsed through her skin from all around her. If she concentrated, at times they seemed to be completely in sync.

Matilda sighed. It felt like she was floating. His hands, firm yet gentle. His voice, rare but soft. His warmth, his breathing. The noises and sensations that swallowed her up…

It was like being in the center of the universe.

She floated.

And slowly…

Time passed...

Slowly…

Slowly…

Matilda’s eyelids dragged as she woke up. She was strangely hyper-aware of where she was and why she was there- and she was aware of how the heat was starting to feel unpleasant, sweltering and sticky. She pulled in a breath of air to find it strangely stale.

 _How much time did I spend in here?_ Matilda looked up into the fleshy rings above her. “J… Jake? Are you asleep or-?”

There was no response, but there was a gentle shuffling.

“Um… I think I’m ready to come out.” She suddenly felt a little awkward. How was this even going to work? “Uh… so, do you think you could…”

Realizing she didn’t know how she was going to end that sentence, Matilda trailed off. She wondered if he was even awake… or… if…

Matilda gave a start as her surroundings shifted once more. Going by the squeak of springs, Jake seemed to be sitting up. Still a bit listless from her nap, Matilda flopped against the wall of his stomach. She scrunched her nose at the strange feeling- they looked like solid flesh, but felt strangely liquid, like gelatin…

_Wait…_

Matilda cried out in surprise as she found her fingers almost phasing through the flesh. She tried to back away, but her surroundings suddenly contracted, pushing against her back-

Pushing her forward-

It was a bit like emerging from a pool filled with pudding. Sight returned to her as Jake’s stomach pushed her out, and Matilda gasped as both light and fresh air hit her body. The shock of returning to the world struck her stiff, and she fell forward, limp and helpless-

Only for a pair of thick arms to catch her.

“Hey…” Jake’s voice was gentle. “Welcome back.”

Limbs stiff, it took Matilda a bit of strength to turn to face him. She smiled weakly. “H… hey…”

His face was fond as he looked down at her. “Your muscles are probably still asleep… you should take it easy for a bit.”

“Right…” Matilda realized his stomach had finished phasing her out, but his arms were still holding her tightly. After a moment, she nearly laughed, realizing she didn’t care at all. She let her head drop against his thick chest, nuzzling to get some of that warmth that came from within him.

“So…” Jake spoke carefully. “Did it… uh… were you satisfied with… it?”

This time she really did laugh. “I was more than satisfied. It was wonderful.” She smiled, settling easy against him. “Thank you… thank you for this, Jake.”

He smiled. “It wasn’t a trouble at all.” With that, he let his head fall back against her pillow, his eyes seemingly a bit distant. He stared at her bedroom ceiling silently for a moment, as she felt his heartbeat against her cheek. “Listen, Matilda…”

She blinked sluggishly. “Yes?”

Jake inhaled. “I was just thinking… now that I’m uh, ‘official,’ it’d be cool if I could let EFA know I was here… and maybe ask about how people, uh, get jobs with them.”

Matilda stared at him for a minute, going over his words in her head.

“It’s just, you know, you’ve done so much with them and you help people… and since you helped me… it’s like they helped me, and maybe it’d be cool if they had somebody they had helped working with them? Like a sort of example?” He shuffled his shoulders. “And I just… I want to help other interstellars… help them find a place on Earth that feels… safe and good for them. I want to… share that, with other people-”

With a sudden burst of energy, Matilda propped herself to look into his eyes. “Jake… are you saying you want to stay here?”

Jake laughed even as he blushed. “Well, I mean, it is called _Earth_ For All…”

“Jake-!” Matilda threw her arms around her neck, crying out, laughing- but perhaps because she hadn’t really drank anything in a while, it came out soft and strained. She flopped face-first against his chest again, still shaking with weak laughter. “S-sorry, I’m still sort of- out of- but I’m so happy!” She laughed. “I’m seriously, seriously so happy!” She squeezed him tightly. “Thank you- thank you!”

His hands came up to rub at her back. “You don’t need to thank me for that- _I_ should be thanking you…” Under her, Matilda felt Jake’s throat move, as if he were swallowing a lump of nothing. “You’ve done so much for me… and I still want to ask you for one more thing.”

“What is it?” Matilda laughed, still half-giddy. “An exchange for working with EFA?”

“No no, it’s not like that- you can say ‘no’ if you want, I just was… curious about it.”

“Sure,” she giggled into his chest. “Lay it on me. Clothes? Want a better office than me?”

“...a kiss.”

Matilda stopped giggling.

It took her a second to prop herself up on her elbows again. Jake was looking down. His cheeks were dusted with a rosy pink.

“Jake…”

“I-it’s okay,” and Matilda realized that might have been the first time she had heard him stammer. “It’s okay if you don’t want… if that’s not the sort of relationship… if you’re not…”

“ _Jake_.”

He jumped a little as Matilda’s hands gently cupped his cheeks. Hesitantly, he lifted his eyes to hers, cheeks darkening even more. Matilda smiled, as warm as she could manage, and gently ran her fingers against his jaw.

“Jake, I have to say, you’re an unusual Orare.” She gave him a coy grin even as she blushed. “Honestly, _kissing_ _?_ Completely unheard of!”

As red as she had ever seen him, Jake smiled, leaning his forehead in to touch hers. “Yeah. I get that a lot.”

And in a quiet little apartment deep in the heart of Starberd City, two pairs of lips made First Contact.


End file.
